Oakridge Park | 13 Towers | 154m | 52fl | 5M sqft | U/C

[whatnext]

And here's the news story:

'A traffic nightmare': Drivers stuck in Oakridge Mall parking lots for hours

ANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — George was among many who spent hours on Saturday afternoon stuck in a mall parking lot

He pulled into the Oakridge Cantre parking lot Saturday afternoon, hoping to get in and out quickly. Nearly two hours later he said he had barely moved.

“It appears to be absolute traffic chaos,” he tells NEWS 1130. “It’s taken us an hour and a half just winding our way through the parking garage trying to get out and off the property and we’re nowhere near being off.”

Frustrated listeners began calling in to NEWS 1130 around 3 p.m. to report hours long delays....

https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/10...ots-for-hours/

[s211]

Originally Posted by whatnext

And here's the news story:

'A traffic nightmare': Drivers stuck in Oakridge Mall parking lots for hours

ANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — George was among many who spent hours on Saturday afternoon stuck in a mall parking lot

He pulled into the Oakridge Cantre parking lot Saturday afternoon, hoping to get in and out quickly. Nearly two hours later he said he had barely moved.

“It appears to be absolute traffic chaos,” he tells NEWS 1130. “It’s taken us an hour and a half just winding our way through the parking garage trying to get out and off the property and we’re nowhere near being off.”

Frustrated listeners began calling in to NEWS 1130 around 3 p.m. to report hours long delays....

https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/10...ots-for-hours/

And in a follow-up, Westbank/Quadreal chastised people in the strongest terms possible for driving in the first place. The City of Vancouver immediately gave W/Q a commendation.

[jollyburger]

They were doing work on 41st







https://www.oakridgecentre.com/reinv...ridge/parking/

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

that building seems so different from the rest of the buildings, will they also end up less sleek and dated looking?

Just this building because it will be transferred to the City. This design will be cheaper to maintain.
One story I read mentioned that.

[SpongeG]

ok.

Re entrance exit 4, thats the underground entrance/exit, last time I was at oakridge in august it was closed off and you could only get out of the one safeway exit and had to go south on cambie only.

[WarrenC12]

The signage for the temporary changes was pretty bad at Oakridge last time I was there, maybe a month ago.

They better get their act together before Christmas...

[Vin]

Originally Posted by whatnext

And here's the news story:

'A traffic nightmare': Drivers stuck in Oakridge Mall parking lots for hours

ANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — George was among many who spent hours on Saturday afternoon stuck in a mall parking lot

He pulled into the Oakridge Cantre parking lot Saturday afternoon, hoping to get in and out quickly. Nearly two hours later he said he had barely moved.

“It appears to be absolute traffic chaos,” he tells NEWS 1130. “It’s taken us an hour and a half just winding our way through the parking garage trying to get out and off the property and we’re nowhere near being off.”

Frustrated listeners began calling in to NEWS 1130 around 3 p.m. to report hours long delays....

https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/10...ots-for-hours/

I thought no one goes to malls anymore? How come the congestions at the mall here? But honestly, I would not choose to drive to Oakridge mall during the period of construction. But I suppose there aren't too many choices for Vancourites living west. It's either downtown, or here. Everywhere else is just a bridge or municipal border too far.

[mcminsen]

The Safeway store at Oakridge will be closing mid January, 2020. I was there today and noticed a lot of empty shelves so I inquired at the customer service counter. They will keep a small space open somewhere at Oakridge to have a Safeway Pharmacy and a small grocery store with essentials like dairy and a limited selection of other groceries. Sounds similar to what they did at Arbutus Shopping Centre.



Nov.30 '19, my pic

[SpongeG]

Vancouver’s Oakridge Centre converts a 1950s mall to a modern-day hub

WALLACE IMMEN SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL
PUBLISHED 11 HOURS AGO


Oakridge Centre, designated as a new town centre for Vancouver, sits on 30 acres of land and is easily accessible by the SkyTrain. WESTBANK CORP

It may be made of concrete and steel, but flexibility is the key for the redevelopment of Vancouver’s Oakridge Centre. With fast-changing retail, social and technological trends, it’s a must.

“The project is literally evolving every day,” even as new roads and infrastructure are being built and the first phase of the ambitious multiyear, mixed-use project is due to begin in the new year, says Ian Gillespie, founder and president of real-estate developer Westbank Corp.

But that’s necessary. “How much of what we know has changed since we first started talking about this project 10 years ago? And how much is going to change in the next seven years it will take to complete the project? The answer is: everything.”

It’s an approach too few developers are taking in rethinking aging retail complexes anywhere, he says. The Oakridge redevelopment started with a plan by previous owner Ivanhoé Cambridge Inc. to add 10 residential and office towers and parkland around the 30-acre Oakridge Centre, which is near the SkyTrain station at Cambie Street and 41st Avenue.

Like most malls built in the 1950s, it’s surrounded by parking lots. Mr. Gillespie pressed for a new vision in 2017 when Westbank partnered with QuadReal Property Group, which purchased Ivanhoé Cambridge’s stake in 2017.

“This has been designated by the city as a new town centre for Vancouver,” Mr. Gillespie says. “Where are you going to find 30 acres of consolidated ownership of land on the Canada Line again? It deserves a lot of thought.”

That’s led to a vision of a mixed-use community designed to evolve with the times. For instance, the plans envision a million square feet of retail spaces that can easily be reconfigured in size, depending on tenants’ needs. There will be an open-air high street, which the mall does not currently have, and there will be indoor retail zones that face onto parkland that’s replacing parking lots.

...

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/feat...odern-day-hub/

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

The Safeway store at Oakridge will be closing mid January, 2020. I was there today and noticed a lot of empty shelves so I inquired at the customer service counter. They will keep a small space open somewhere at Oakridge to have a Safeway Pharmacy and a small grocery store with essentials like dairy and a limited selection of other groceries. Sounds similar to what they did at Arbutus Shopping Centre.



Nov.30 '19, my pic

where is the closest grocery store now? Safeway in marpole or king edward?

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

where is the closest grocery store now? Safeway in marpole or king edward?

I've been going to the Oakridge Safeway at least weekly for years and it's always seemed very busy. It's going to be a big adjustment for a lot of people in that area to not have this supermarket for a few years. I'll bet the T&T at Marine Gateway will get a big boost in business in the new year. It's just a few minutes away on the Canada Line.

There is also the Safeway at King Edward and Oak which might be convenient by car. Other than that...

[Tetsuo]

Nesters Main, Safeway Oak, Safeway Marpole, TNT Marine, RCSS Main and Marine, Choices 54th.

Maybe Save On Kerrisdale???

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by Tetsuo

Nesters Main, Safeway Oak, Safeway Marpole, TNT Marine, RCSS Main and Marine, Choices 54th.

Maybe Save On Kerrisdale???

Do you mean Save On at Dunbar & 41st?

Also, if going by Canada Line it's not long to get to Broadway and Cambie with multiple supermarkets in that area (Save On, Whole Foods, No Frills, SunGiven).

[memememe76]

The French bread in the new Safeways are different (and worse). I love Old Safeway French Bread. I am sad whenever an old Safeway dies.

[officedweller]

Yeah, I think Broadway & Cambie supermarkets will benefit the most.

The Save-on-Foods mentioned would be the new one at West Blvd & 49th Ave in the new condo building.

Safeway is advertising the Oak & King Edward location to Yaletowners via mail-out circulars.

[Feathered Friend]

Vancouver’s UDP Finds Nothing Wicked In The Newest Phase Of Oakridge Centre’s Redevelopment

650 West 41st Avenue Phase 3A – DP-2019-00667
As phase three of the Oakridge Centre redevelopment isn’t actually proposing any new towers, Hannah and I were surprised to learn it has been split into two proposals. That’s due to ongoing negotiations with TransLink over the operations of the new Oakridge – 41st Avenue Canada Line station entrance, and the accompanying transit plaza. These discussions are expected to carry on into next year, but at least now the mall’s entry concourse and office tower renovations can move ahead.

Neither aspect appeared to interest the roughly 40 people at this open house, as many seemed more attracted to other activities at the Jewish Community Centre. It’s clear to see why these changes were so easy to overlook, as they represent such a small part of this larger site. At its Urban Design Panel review, City Staff agreed it would have made more sense if the entire area was up for discussion, but there’s been plenty of challenges on this site.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2019/1...redevelopment/

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Safeway is advertising the Oak & King Edward location to Yaletowners via mail-out circulars.

That's insane, did somebody get some postal codes mixed up?

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2019/1...redevelopment/

Thanks for the excellent write-up.

That's a helpful report regarding the severe seismic instability of the Terraces building, as the inability to get the owners to sell that unsightly building to make way for a grand, coherent gateway has hitherto been one of the biggest disappointments of this project. Hopefully, now, we can get the outcome we originally wanted, now that the owners know they are living in a death trap.

[officedweller]

The rooftop park seems a lot more chopped up than expected (though the model only shows a part of it).

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

That's insane, did somebody get some postal codes mixed up?

It's due to the City Square closure (and, I suppose, the Davie St. temporary closure)

[phesto]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The rooftop park seems a lot more chopped up than expected (though the model only shows a part of it).

At least they excluded the skylights from the area defined as "park". So much of the so-called park is already inaccessible green roof/landscaped area. Typical Westbank/greenwashing .